Frequents: “We’re real homebodies mostly. But we love coffee shops and the like. Open mics are real cool. And Cal Poly. We spend a lot of time there, being studious and all.”

A pair of musicians who met at Cal Poly Pomona, Tangerine Smile has not so much stepped into the IE music scene as calmly serenaded their way in. Fresh off its latest EP, Potential, Patrick Wall and Lauren Quon are beginning to mature as musicians as their sound, described by Wall as “folk-rock-ish-yes,” the duo represents the oncoming new wave of folk rock (The Lumineers, Mumford and Sons) that’s taking the indie world by storm.

What we can tell you about Potential?

Patrick Wall: It was really a demo—[a] first run at recording something. It was all DIY. It is a good glimpse of us as a really young, naive band. Not to say that we’re old now, but we learned a lot from the experience. Also, as you can imagine, for a first try recording something we come off as unpolished. At least that is my opinion.

Lauren Quone: It was good, but I think our recent project is much better.

What are your favorite places to perform?

Wall: I love house shows. But anytime someone is willing to sit there and let them sing you songs for however long is a blessing wherever that happens to be—a street corner even. We may have a house show, and possibly a coffee shop performance on the horizon. But truthfully the winter quarter at Cal Poly just started up so we have to play the whole balancing act with that.

How does the future look for Tangerine Smile?

Wall: Well, we are in the process of making another EP, this one done with professional help. It is a concept album as well: five songs based off the social psychologist [Elisabeth] Kübler-Ross’ stages of accepting loss . . . as well as playing for whoever will have us.